IHG Hotels & Resorts accelerates growth of Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Hungary with Debrecen signing

13.10.2026 (London, UK): IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, announces the signing of a new Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Debrecen, Hungary, adding to its existing portfolio of 56* open and pipeline Suites properties across Europe. Developed in partnership with Xanga, a Hungarian privately owned investment and development company headquartered in Debrecen, the hotel will further expand IHG's presence beyond Budapest, supporting the company's strategy of growing in high-potential regional destinations across Hungary and the wider Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region.

Scheduled to open in 2029, the 120-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites Debrecen will form part of a new mixed-use development comprising residential, office and retail space, located approximately one kilometre from the city centre. Designed around the brand’s Next Generation concept, the hotel will offer, 100 comfortable contemporary guest rooms, 20 suites, free hot breakfast, complimentary Wi-Fi and the Express Café & Bar, catering to both business and leisure travellers.

Debrecen is Hungary’s second-largest city and the principal economic centre of the country’s eastern region and has become one of Hungary’s most important industrial and investment destinations, buoyed by major domestic and international investment, infrastructure upgrades and expanding air connectivity. That rapid growth has fueled demand for modern, internationally branded accommodation, which remains in limited supply in the city today.

Willemijn Geels, Vice President, Development, Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: “Debrecen is one of Central Europe’s most dynamic growth stories, and we’re delighted to be bringing Holiday Inn Express & Suites to the heart of it. As our first hotel in Eastern Hungary, this signing reflects our ambition to grow beyond Budapest and to meet the rising demand for quality, internationally branded hotels in the region’s fast-emerging cities. We’re especially pleased to be doing so alongside Xanga on their first project with IHG, and we look forward to a long and successful partnership together.”

István Herdon, Founder and CEO at Xanga Group, commented: “As a company rooted in Debrecen, we have played an active role in the city’s economic development for more than twenty-five years. Through the Holiday Inn Express & Suites hotel, developed in partnership with IHG, we aim to further strengthen Debrecen’s role as an international business and tourism destination, offering modern, reliable accommodation for visitors to the city. The hotel will form part of a mixed-use development that also includes residential, office and retail space. For us, this project represents a long-term investment in Debrecen’s future.”

Holiday Inn Express is IHG's largest and fastest-growing brand, promising simple, smart travel since it was created in 1991 to challenge convention in the travel industry. In Europe, the brand has 302* open hotels across 20 countries, with a further 42* properties in the development pipeline. Designed as a frictionless basecamp where guests can rest, recharge or keep moving, the brand delivers more where it matters most – from a free hot breakfast and a great night's sleep to value-rich essentials and its future-ready Next Generation design. The additional suites proposition provides extra space and amenities to support the Smart Traveler at Holiday Inn Express.

The signing of Holiday Inn Express & Suites Debrecen reinforces IHG's commitment to growing its Essentials portfolio across Hungary and the wider CEE region. In Hungary, the company currently has five* open and three* pipeline hotels with the new property set to become IHG’s second project in the country beyond the capital – further strengthening its presence in one of Central Europe's most dynamic growth markets.

*Numbers as of 30 June 2026